Free SH Medical 08 - The Baby Dilemma by Jacqueline Diamond

could hardly expect him to raise another man’s child.
    Oddly, the certainty that they had no future together proved reassuring. She needn’t worry about false expectations on either of their parts. And right now she felt a lot safer with a man in the house, especially one as capable as Mike. Why not keep him around for the summer?
    “I love the way your thoughts show on your face,” Mike said. “It’s better than an action movie.”
    “Watch the teasing. You might make me reconsider,” she warned.
    An off-center grin lit his face. “Does that mean I’m in?”
    “We’ll need ground rules,” Paige warned. “About privacy, neatness, inviting friends over and so on.”
    “I’m housebroken, I assure you.” Mike sat back, clearly pleased. “And I happen to like rules. They let everyone know where they stand.”
    When he smiled that way, Paige had to fight the impulse to cup his handsome, scratchy face with her palm. “I’ll prorate the rent since we’re already a week into the month.”
    “Don’t worry about it.” He piled her empty cup atop her plate. “Also, since I’ll be borrowing a truck, I can move out your old furniture if you’ll tell me where to take it.”
    She’d seen a notice on the bulletin board that morning seeking donations for a fundraising yard sale sponsored by Samantha Forrest’s counseling center. “Can I give you that address tomorrow? You’re welcome to use the bed or the couch till then.”
    “Works for me.” Mike carried the dishes to the sink.
    As she arose stiffly, Paige hoped she’d made the right decision. Because one way or the other, life around here was about to change.

Chapter Seven
    On the drive to work Monday morning, Mike monitored a local news and traffic radio service that worked with the police department. It didn’t entirely substitute for a police scanner, but law enforcement communications were encrypted these days. Fortunately, the Safe Harbor police chief liked to get the news out to the public in the belief that transparency boosted trust.
    Nothing major seemed to be going on today: a traffic collision on Safe Harbor Boulevard, with a recommendation to use alternate routes; illegal fireworks confiscated from a home, and a warning about the dangers they presented. On the human-interest side, the announcer explained that the fire department had declined to mount a rescue for a cat stuck in a tree. To any outraged animal lovers in the audience, he asked when they’d last seen a cat skeleton in a tree. The answer was undoubtedly “never,” since felines had a talent for scrambling down on their own.
    Mike hummed happily. He’d had a productive Sunday—made sure the glass in Paige’s back door got fixed properly and the alarm reattached, arranged to borrow a pickup from a pal at the police department, and figured out where in the living room to place his big-screen TV. Incredibly, all Paige owned was a tiny set in her bedroom. How could anyone live like that?
    Last night at his old house, despite being surrounded by his possessions, he’d felt as if he were just visiting. Already, the beach cottage had become home.
    Mike turned onto Lyons Way and into the parking lot of a strip mall dominated by the Sexy Over Sixty gym and Lyons Way Escrow. Most people arriving here wouldn’t even notice the door between them lettered Fact Hunter Investigations, with the offices located on the second floor. Being discreet suited the agency’s clients, those few who chose to come here in person.
    A little over a year ago, Mike and Lock had bought the agency from a former marine and retired cop named Bruce Hunter. Despite the ongoing challenge of bringing in enough revenue to cover expenses, pay employees and earn a modest profit, Mike liked being his own boss. While earning a master’s degree in criminal science, Mike had spent three years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, then eight at the Safe Harbor P.D. That was enough of following other people’s